1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drying apparatus, such as a laundry dryer, having a front support mounting assembly, and more particularly to a drying apparatus having a front support mounting assembly, employing a fixing bracket for fixing a front support directly to a cabinet.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally speaking, an apparatus for drying washed laundry, which may include a laundry dryer or a drum-type washing machine, performs drying by directing hot air generated from a heater into a rotating drying chamber, or drum, holding the laundry. Typically, the drum has an open end at its front and is installed horizontally with respect to a cabinet of the apparatus. The open front end of the drum should be rotatably supported on the front side of the cabinet, which has an entrance hole for providing access to the drum's interior. To support the open front end of the drum, the apparatus according to a related art is provided with a front support mounting assembly as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, which show a laundry dryer having a front support mounting assembly.
Referring to FIG. 1, a laundry dryer according to a related art is comprised of a cabinet 26 having a laundry entrance 28a centrally formed in a front cabinet cover 28; a rotatable drum 8, horizontally secured within the cabinet, for holding laundry and having an open end and a closed end; and a front support 12, disposed between the drum and the front cabinet cover of the cabinet, for rotatably supporting the open end of the drum while allowing access to the drum's interior through a laundry opening 12a, which is centrally formed in the front support and has a slightly greater diameter than the laundry entrance of the front cabinet cover of the cabinet. The entrance 28a of the front cabinet cover 28 of the cabinet 26 receives a door 38 having a door glass 38a for viewing the interior of the drum 8 via the laundry opening 12a of the front support 12. The front support 12 is fixed to the front cabinet cover 28 using a plurality of coupling members 40, and then the front cabinet cover is mounted to the front of the cabinet 26 to complete the assembly, such that the front support is indirectly fixed to the cabinet via the front cabinet cover.
Referring to FIG. 2, the front support 12 comprises an annular guide 12b, protruding rearward, to provide rotatable support to the drum 8 by receiving the open end of the drum on a set of guide rollers (not shown) in contact with an outer surface of the open end of the drum. A seal 42 is provided for closing a gap between the drum 8 and the front support 12, to prevent escape of the hot air of the drying chamber, i.e., the drum. To facilitate the coupling between the drum 8 and the front support 12, at both the rotatably supported contact surface and the sealed gap, a consistent distance should be maintained for the opposing surfaces of the drum and the front support.
According to the front support mounting assembly constructed as above, however, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the drum 8 and the front support 12 is uneven due to the above-described indirect coupling, whereby the front support is fixed to the front cabinet cover 28 which is then fixed to the cabinet 26. As a result of the inconsistent distances, dryer operation and performance is degraded. Specifically, the installation of the front support 12 to the front cabinet cover 28 and the cabinet 26 is insecure or weakens over time, and the seal 42 tends to fail. Moreover, loading the front support 12 during assembly is cumbersome, which reduces manufacturing productivity accordingly.